Saturday, July 30, 2011
I Can Achieve
I can’t convey to you what it takes to lead a life I wish to live. But in my heart, within the depths of my very being, I know what kind of life I want to live. I want to be able to look back at all that I have done and be able to say I have achieved a life only dreamers can dream of. It is hard for me to say that I have done well at anything because I am by far harder on myself than anyone could ever imagine. I’m not good at taking compliments, especially from myself. But when my time comes, when the rubber no longer touches the road but the eyes look to the sky and witnesses the inspiration I have been waiting for. When a man no longer sees the present for he sees the past he has created, the love he has shown, the friendships he has made, and the lives he has changed drastically beyond the vision of his own eyes, I will finally know why I have this intention, this motivation to achieve greatness. I have this passion, drive, overriding desire to witness something no simple man of this world can believe to behold with their own fading vision. The men of this world are losing this desire. They have let trivial and stupid interests take over their minds like money, pornography, sexuality, and envy and many others take hold of the sub-conscious. No longer do men think for themselves for if they did the desire I posses would resonate from the inside out. Sadly I, myself, only feel the slight yet unmistakable touch of this desire. It only resonates when my own fading eyes witness the desire and passion emit from my fellow man. Only then does it respond and bellow from my heart, my spirit. The mind is only as strong as God will let it be, the body is only as strong as you make it, and the heart is strongest when it feels love. But the spirit is limitless. The strength of the spirit relies on the strength of all of these. Don’t let the spirit fail or else the mind goes gray, the body goes limp and the heart feels the cold embrace of loneliness. Don’t let your hearts deepest desire to achieve greatness go unwitnessed.
-Dan Beal
Friday, July 29, 2011
Verse of the Day
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting
away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our
light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
~2 Corinthians 4: 16-18
away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our
light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
~2 Corinthians 4: 16-18
Brian Gallagher
The Jersey Shore Cast & Playboy Bunnie
I got the same old friends
They got the same old sins
I tell the same old jokes
Give the same old grins
But now the jokes sound new
And the laughter does too
Everyday of my life
As fresh as morning dew
-Dusty Springfield
-Dusty Springfield
Fellowship. Food. Fun. I remember those words always being used in accordance with youth group or church events. Flyers would be handed out stressing the fellowship and fun that would surely ensue. And of course, the food part was always thrown in there, because who doesn’t love free food?!
If I’m being completely honest, I love hanging out with the friends of mine who bring along with them good, wholesome fellowship. On most days, I would rather hang out with my friends who believe that Jesus Christ is their personal Savior than the friends of mine that don’t quite see things that way. There’s nothing quite like arguing free will versus predestination or discussing the shotty theology of Rob Bell’s newest book. Just being in a community of believers is exhilarating, and if you are blessed enough to receive the gift of eternal life; won’t eternity be spent in perfect fellowship? So why not just get used to it? Why even bother hanging out with your ‘non-Christian’ friends? Let’s just evangelize to them; just tell them the Good News and move on. God even calls us to do so; “go and make disciples” and “preach the good news”.
Matthew 9:10 “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.”
What in the world do we do with this? JESUS, the man who knew no sin, who was flawlessly perfect, who was God in the flesh, was hanging out with sinners and tax collectors? Tax collectors, the present-day IRS; these guys were scum, they were notorious for overcharging people and keeping the money; Jesus was gathering with these types of people!? Imagine Jesus hanging out with the Jersey Shore cast and the Playboy bunnies. Shouldn’t Jesus (and His disciples, for that matter) be surrounding themselves with better company? After all, bad company corrupts good character, right?
And so the Pharisees, who are completely astounded that Jesus is in the presence of such low lives, ask the disciples why Jesus is subjecting Himself to this. Jesus, (being omnipresent and all) overhears the Pharisees and says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12)
If I’m being completely honest, I love hanging out with the friends of mine who bring along with them good, wholesome fellowship. On most days, I would rather hang out with my friends who believe that Jesus Christ is their personal Savior than the friends of mine that don’t quite see things that way. There’s nothing quite like arguing free will versus predestination or discussing the shotty theology of Rob Bell’s newest book. Just being in a community of believers is exhilarating, and if you are blessed enough to receive the gift of eternal life; won’t eternity be spent in perfect fellowship? So why not just get used to it? Why even bother hanging out with your ‘non-Christian’ friends? Let’s just evangelize to them; just tell them the Good News and move on. God even calls us to do so; “go and make disciples” and “preach the good news”.
Matthew 9:10 “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.”
What in the world do we do with this? JESUS, the man who knew no sin, who was flawlessly perfect, who was God in the flesh, was hanging out with sinners and tax collectors? Tax collectors, the present-day IRS; these guys were scum, they were notorious for overcharging people and keeping the money; Jesus was gathering with these types of people!? Imagine Jesus hanging out with the Jersey Shore cast and the Playboy bunnies. Shouldn’t Jesus (and His disciples, for that matter) be surrounding themselves with better company? After all, bad company corrupts good character, right?
And so the Pharisees, who are completely astounded that Jesus is in the presence of such low lives, ask the disciples why Jesus is subjecting Himself to this. Jesus, (being omnipresent and all) overhears the Pharisees and says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12)
WHOA! Jesus just showed them up! Why would a healthy person need a doctor? Why would a clean person need a bath? Why would a millionaire need payment protection insurance? These sinners needed to hear the Good News; Jesus needed to be the Good News to them. I think we are called to do the same thing. I’m not saying ditch all your Christian friends and only befriend the sinners, but make sure you invest time and energy into reaching people, and go beyond just reaching them and eat with them, talk with them, be with them. Be careful not to conform to their ways; be in their world, but not of their world. Establish yourself in the truths of the Bible and in the direction of the Holy Spirit and always rely on God to be your Rock.
-Christa Coners
In the Beginning
Recently, I have been reading through the book of Acts and it has once again reminded me of the need for a relationship with Jesus Christ. Peter and Paul and Andrew and all of the other disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and only in that, were they able to do the work of the Lord. They would go out into the streets daily promoting the name of Jesus Christ and calling on the Holy Spirit to give them strength and guidance. And we too have that power, as followers of Christ ,we too have been filled with the Holy Spirit, we too have been given the power to call upon the name of Jesus for strength. As Christians we have great power to serve the Lord, but we can do nothing until we realize that power.
When reading through the Bible I have come across amazing men and women who had amazing abilities. Noah was able to build an arc, save his family, and start a new generation of people. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. Mary conceived a child as a virgin. Paul spread Christianity throughout the Mediterranean world and started the first churches.
I used to think that these people were special, that they were chosen by God because they possessed something that I would never have. But the truth of the matter is there wasn’t anything inherently different about these people. They were sinners and fools just like the rest of us. But they new a secret, they new the true power of the Lord and were able to call upon that power. Only in that were they able to change the world, only through listening to God and calling on the powers He gives all of us were they able to do something extraordinary.
And we have that very same ability. They were able to change a Corner of their Universe- can we do the same?
1 Kings 19:11-12
The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
-Rachel D'Ascendis
When reading through the Bible I have come across amazing men and women who had amazing abilities. Noah was able to build an arc, save his family, and start a new generation of people. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. Mary conceived a child as a virgin. Paul spread Christianity throughout the Mediterranean world and started the first churches.
I used to think that these people were special, that they were chosen by God because they possessed something that I would never have. But the truth of the matter is there wasn’t anything inherently different about these people. They were sinners and fools just like the rest of us. But they new a secret, they new the true power of the Lord and were able to call upon that power. Only in that were they able to change the world, only through listening to God and calling on the powers He gives all of us were they able to do something extraordinary.
And we have that very same ability. They were able to change a Corner of their Universe- can we do the same?
1 Kings 19:11-12
The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
-Rachel D'Ascendis
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